Opinion Essay: Health Care
Steven Vanous
Opinion essay
131-17
One of the most debated topics of today in America is Health Care. How can we make it better? How can we fix the major flaws? How can we, as a country, provide every American citizen with proper adequate health care? These are very good questions. I’m just your average citizen and I figured it out. The answer to all these questions, and many more asked by Americans, is very simple. Adopt a “Socialized Health Care” system just like the one that’s been used north of our borders in Canada since the 1960’s. Here is my reasoning as to why we should have done this a long time ago.
In Canada, and many other countries, the United States health care system is used as a model and as a warning against increasing Private sector involvement in financing health care. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Canada’s Socialized Health system is seen by both sides of the spectrum as a model to be followed. Although many describe Canada’s system as “socialized medicine,” the term is inaccurate. The Canadian system provides public funding for private delivery. Canadian hospitals are controlled by private boards and/or regional health authorities, rather than being part of the government.
How might this change in health care effect our economy? Research shows that Canada’s government funding of health care is approximately [US$] 1,893 per person / per year. Here in the U.S., government spending on health care is approximately [US$] 2,728. My calculated savings, using the July 2010 Census report, figures to be over $256 billion dollars per year. In a nutshell, the U.S. spends more on Health Care than on Social Security and National Defense combined. And that’s just the start of my debate.
Canada’s single-payer universal health care system covers about 70% of expenditures, and the Canada Health Act requires that all insured persons be fully insured, without co-payments or user fees, for all medically necessary hospital visits and physicians care. About
Opinion essay
131-17
One of the most debated topics of today in America is Health Care. How can we make it better? How can we fix the major flaws? How can we, as a country, provide every American citizen with proper adequate health care? These are very good questions. I’m just your average citizen and I figured it out. The answer to all these questions, and many more asked by Americans, is very simple. Adopt a “Socialized Health Care” system just like the one that’s been used north of our borders in Canada since the 1960’s. Here is my reasoning as to why we should have done this a long time ago.
In Canada, and many other countries, the United States health care system is used as a model and as a warning against increasing Private sector involvement in financing health care. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Canada’s Socialized Health system is seen by both sides of the spectrum as a model to be followed. Although many describe Canada’s system as “socialized medicine,” the term is inaccurate. The Canadian system provides public funding for private delivery. Canadian hospitals are controlled by private boards and/or regional health authorities, rather than being part of the government.
How might this change in health care effect our economy? Research shows that Canada’s government funding of health care is approximately [US$] 1,893 per person / per year. Here in the U.S., government spending on health care is approximately [US$] 2,728. My calculated savings, using the July 2010 Census report, figures to be over $256 billion dollars per year. In a nutshell, the U.S. spends more on Health Care than on Social Security and National Defense combined. And that’s just the start of my debate.
Canada’s single-payer universal health care system covers about 70% of expenditures, and the Canada Health Act requires that all insured persons be fully insured, without co-payments or user fees, for all medically necessary hospital visits and physicians care. About